Mississippi State Department of Health provides summer vibrio update

State health officials are continuing to push out reminders on the dangers of vibrio, as the state now reports nearly 30 cases of people infected with the bacteria this year.

People become infected through open wounds exposed to saltwater or by eating raw or undercooked oysters and other shellfish.

There have been 29 vibrio infections, including three cases of a more serious strain, often referred to as the ‘flesh eating’ bacteria.

No deaths have been reported this year, but nearly two-thirds of the cases have occurred along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.